


Strikhedonia.

by kurotsuno



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Ensemble Stars Secret Santa 2018, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, here's more tags i guess, i guess?, im no good with tags, its just gay! and nice, thats a cheesy tag, uhhhhhhhhhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-17 01:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16965471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurotsuno/pseuds/kurotsuno
Summary: Christmas was never that special. Not to Natsume, at least.





	Strikhedonia.

**Author's Note:**

> a secret santa gift!
> 
> i've never written subanatsu so please bear with me but i did my BEST... and also have a newfound appreciation for this ship. this was really fun to write and i hope you enjoy it!!

It’s that time of year again. A time where society begins to string colorful lights and tacky decorations on just about any surface applicable. The exact time where the chill of winter frost calls for family, friends, lovers—just about any group of individuals—to huddle up close and embrace in the warmth and company of one another, as if to melt away not only the cold, but also their feelings of loneliness and stress.

Christmas was never that special. Not to Natsume, at least. It’s most likely due to the fact he prefers not to even try to reminisce on muddy memories of when he was younger. Even when he can recall them, they’re not that great—just vague memories of doing Christmas recitals for a few years, having to wear disgustingly itchy dresses, and spending hours upon hours styling his hair. Aside from that, his family wasn’t much for the holidays. His mother was often buried with work around that time of year, and when she wasn’t, she didn’t pay much attention to Natsume. His father sort of took a passive approach to the holiday, and maybe uttered a ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’ once or twice to Natsume—although, it usually wasn’t even on the day in question.

In short, Natsume probably doesn’t care much for Christmas because he can’t exactly resonate with it. The cheesy commercials of families gathering around a table or on a couch and lovingly glancing upon a tree they’d put up together, with an abundance of sparkling presents littering the ground beneath it.. It just didn’t connect to him.

Admittedly, since enrolling in Yumenosaki Academy, he’d learned a bit more about the holiday, especially with some unnamed individuals polluting the hallways with mistletoe and wreaths and ribbons. He was even surprised to learn about Santa Claus (and by learning, it means he accidentally kicked Rei one year when he dressed up like the jolly old man. It was an informative hospital visit.).

That still didn’t mean he cared about it.

Not until now, at least.

 

* * *

 

Here he was—a heap of tangled limbs with someone dear to him, reclining on a rather cramped sofa, listening to the crackle and roar of the fireplace dancing in this dimly lit room.. And everything sort of clicked with Natsume. The warm glow of illumination from the coals shone on Subaru’s features, and Natsume couldn’t help but gaze lovingly upon them.

Subaru, of course, notices the strange exchange after a few moments, and blurts out inquisitively,

“Is there something on my face?”

Dusting a hand across his own cheek, he searches for something unusual, something that would explain why Natsume would be staring at him with those eyes.

In response, Natsume shakes his head gently. It’s.. odd for him to feel so at peace, but something about the fluffy blanket draping over them and the warm hum from the chimney soothes him.

“No.”

“Then what~?”

Saying ‘nothing’ was probably not the response Subaru wanted. Plus, it wasn’t like it was that often that they were able to just relax together like this, indulging in each other’s lazy company.

“I was **_admiring_ ** your face.”

“Admiring my face? Aww, Natsume **—** ”

“Hush.”

A slight hiss peeks through in his tone, and all Subaru does in suit is chuckle heartily at it.

Subaru stretches his arms upwards, groaning a bit as he arches his back. Natsume raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t comment on the procedure. Once he’s finished, Subaru leans over and rests his chin on Natsume’s chest, having to awkwardly brush aside the fabric coating the two of them to nestle in.

Natsume glances down at quizzically. His mouth begins to fall ajar slightly, stopping when Subaru extends a hand to prod at Natsume’s earlobe.

“You got new piercings~? They’re so shiny~!”

Ah, right. He almost forgot he’d invested in another piercing recently—not that he really needed any more, since his ears were already littered with metal, but then he remembered the real motive to why he’d splurged on an addition.

Subaru fiddled with the earring between his fingers carefully, flipping it around and tilting it to admire the way it glinted and glimmered under the toasty haze of the blaze sparkling upon it.

Natsume simply allowed him to indulge in his obsession with overly shiny objects, only stirring once or twice whenever his skin was tickled in the process.

“Baru- **_kun_ ** , my face is up **_here_ **, you know~.”

Subaru scrunched his eyebrows up for a moment, almost giving Natsume a somewhat pouty look before bursting into giggles. He figured he must have looked silly trying to don such an unfitting appearance. He releases the earring in his grasp, and nuzzles up to Natsume’s neck lovingly.

Natsume tilts his chin down slightly to inspect, and Subaru takes advantage of it to dart off of the crook of his neck and peck at Natsume’s lips. This earns him a flush of pink from Natsume, but he doesn’t make an attempt to swat Subaru off. That’s a good thing, probably.

“That wasn’t **_fair_ **.”

“Since when have you cared about being fair~?”

Peppering a few giggly kisses to Natsume’s radiant cheeks, Subaru moves his arms to drape them near Natsume’s sides. It’s only for a few moments, since he finds the position to be a bit too uncomfortable and glides back off of Natsume’s face.

 

* * *

 

Subaru returns after a few minutes of carefully preparing hot cocoa, two extremely tacky mugs nestled in his grip. He reclines beside his boyfriend, offering him his assigned cup. Natsume accepts, and cozily allows the container to warm his palms.

Gingerly, Natsume brings it up to his lips after awaiting the scalding temperature to subside, and gently sips it. A marshmallow bobs and presses against his mouth as he indulges.

He’s trying his best to enjoy the concoction, but..

“....? Hrrk..?!”

A small metallic trinket roams into his mouth, and he immediately spits it out. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve afterwards, he gives an annoyed glance back to Subaru, but ends up confused upon seeing the other male donning a disgustingly excited grin.

Natsume’s about to ask what’s so amusing, or something of that effect, but then he actually takes a moment to inspect what he’d spat out.

It’s.. a ring. A small, silver ring. Wait. **Wait** . **_Wait_ **.

“Do you like it~? I picked it out just for you~.”

Natsume doesn’t respond, and instead fumbles the ring around in his palm. He can’t be quick to assume what it means.

“It’s.. **_nice_ **, but what exactly..?”

Trailing off, he swears he saw Subaru stifle a gasp at spotting a genuinely perplexed reaction from him.

“It’s a promise ring!”

“A **_promise_ ** ring?”

Repeating the information he’d been given back, Subaru nods happily.

“Mhm~! It’s kinda like an engagement ring?”

Natsume chokes.

“I’m kidding, I’m just kidding! Don’t look so disgusted~! What if it really was one..”

Feigning a pout, Subaru awaits a response. Natsume regains his composure, clears his throat, and then inhales slightly before speaking once again.

“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d profess your eternal **_devotion_ ** to me so suddenly~. And in a way that could have **_killed_ ** me, too.”

In Natsume language, Subaru interprets that as ‘It caught me off guard, why didn’t you just hand it to me like any normal person, you idiot.’. Even with the additional comment, Natsume knows Subaru wouldn’t have gone a traditional route. He just hadn’t been expecting that, of all ways. Maybe more of something like a sky-line writing, or perhaps spelling it out in the snow?

“I’ll give you a real one someday, but until I can afford something that nice, I hope you’ll wear that one~.”

Those words catch Natsume dead in his tracks once again. With such a busy schedule, he hadn’t even delved into considering marriage. Well, why would he? At only 17, he wouldn’t need to consider something that serious just yet. Even so, with a dumb, passionate puppy love like this.. He couldn’t help but blush at the thought, showing through his poker face.

“And what if I **_refuse_ **?”

Musing along, Natsume purrs as he slips the ring onto his left hand.

“Then I’ll cry! I’ll cry a sea of tears until Natsume accepts my love~!”

Natsume sneers and draws his face closer to Subaru’s, eskimo kissing him for a period of time to coax him.

 

* * *

 

Nightfall stumbles upon them rather soon, and Natsume desperately wishes there were just a few more minutes of time left for them to cherish together before they’d have to eventually part ways and return to another long period of time busying themselves and being away from each other.

Subaru leans on Natsume’s shoulder, nestling himself right into Natsume’s long lock of crimson hair. He combs a finger through it, accidentally brushing a knot, earning a wince from Natsume.

Carefully, Subaru lifts the strand and holds it underneath his nose, as if to pretend it was his own facial hair. Natsume just scowls a bit at him, but a hint of a smile threatens his lips.

It’s stupid, he thinks. Subaru is, without a doubt, an absolute idiot. And Natsume’s the fool who fell for him.

Natsume blinks a few times, eyelids puffy and heavy. He doesn’t want to, but he’s nearly dozing off when faintly, words arrive to his ears.

“I love you.”

Subaru sleepily mumbles, cozying himself with Natsume’s body warmth. Through his drowsy state, Natsume stifles a yawn long enough to reply.

“I **_love_ ** you too, **_Subaru_ **.”

Subaru jostles his leg slightly, as if to non-verbally comment on the fact Natsume just used his name. He’s far too tired to actually point it out, though.

A smile arrives on Natsume’s lips as he gently wraps his arms around his boyfriend, sloppily holding him in an embrace as the two doze off into comforting slumber, the scent of cocoa and firewood wafting around them.

Natsume surmises that—maybe, just maybe—Christmas isn’t as bad as he thought.

**Author's Note:**

> aaaand there's the end of it. i hope i did this justice!! again i havent written subanatsu before!! so hopefully i did ok! 
> 
> side note. this is the first g rated fic i think ive ever written sdhfjd what does that say about me???
> 
> also another fun fact!!  
> strikhedonia means "the pleasure of being able to say ‘to hell with it’."  
> i thought it'd make for a good title


End file.
